


a thousand miles begins with a single step

by nayt0reprince



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Epistolary, Gen, More characters to come, POV First Person, Spoilers, tressa is my daughter I will protect her
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-06-15 16:32:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15417042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nayt0reprince/pseuds/nayt0reprince
Summary: the diary was only half-filled after tressa “inherited” it. the remainder, then, would be filled by her, come thieves or high water.





	1. rippletide blues

**Author's Note:**

> hey gang! thanks for checking this out! this is going to be an ongoing little side-project for me as I play octopath traveler. i'm absolutely enamored with the game, so i wanted to have even more character interactions and development and stuff. and since tressa is the first character i started with, and she's filling out a journal, i thought this was a perfect way to write fic. or something. we'll see how it goes! lemme know what you think!

**Day:** XX/XX

 **Weather:** Sunny sunshine!

Hello hello! Tressa Colozone here, taking over for the rest of this diary! I’m not really sure what happened to the original author - this thing was going to be thrown out if I hadn’t fished it out from behind so many other treasures - but that’s fine. I can finish the rest from here, no worries! See, because after I read his contents, I decided to go on an adventure of my own, too! We’ll call it, “Tressa’s Merchant Training Extravaganza!” Or maybe “Fish out of Water: -Insert Clever Title Here-” Not sure yet, we’ll figure it out along the way. No jumping ahead to see what I decided on, though! That’s cheating.

Anyways, it’s nice to meet you, reader - or future me. I’m from Rippletide, which sounds a lot more exciting than it actually is. It’s by the ocean and everything, so we’ve had a few whompers for storms, but not much happened when I grew up there. I can count the number of exciting occurrences on one hand, like the time Pops had to throw out some shady customers who kept trying to steal our wine, or the pirates that harassed us for weeks on end. If I were to name our village, it would be Calmtide. Or Quiettide. Quiettide sounds better. We’re __supposedly__ a large trading post for the Coastlands, but most people call us small when they come swimming up to our shores. I don’t blame them.

But it’s home. Rippletide’s home, and I’ve never really quite left it before like I am now. Mum was super worried about me, and Pops was hesitant to let me go, but I couldn’t stay. I __can’t__ stay. Not even for one more week! They tried convincing me that I needed at least __five years__ before I could head out. Could you imagine poor little old me being stuck there for five more years after reading this? Five whole years that I could be spending traveling Orsterra, wasted away in that teeny-tiny shop! I can’t think of a worse fate than that. Yikes.

I’m sure I’ll miss it, though. I already miss seeing the boats go in and out of port. I can still see them from here - the east coast isn’t very far from home - but it’s not quite the same. I __won’t__ miss helping out with lugging barrels full of worms, though. Yuck!

Enough about that, though. You didn’t start reading this for my past! You want to hear the excitement, right? Right?

Well, I’m camping!

Yay!

No, but really, I’ve only ever tread the East Rippletide Coast a few times, and this is my first pitching a tent on it. It took me a whole hour to figure out! The darn stakes wouldn’t go into the ground in some places, so I had to keep readjusting the position. And __then__ the wind kicked up, and nearly blew all my progress away. Since there’s only a few trees around, the guylines were __also__ a pain to fix, but I did it. Somehow. I hope they’re done right. I don’t want to wake up with my tent in the ocean, you know? I’m still worried about that. I’ll let you know if it happened or not. Heh!

Oh, I almost forgot - I helped someone after leaving town. I can’t really remember their name - they got banged up pretty badly by the monsters around here - but they seemed to be a traveller, like me! I wonder if I’ll ever run into them again. Next time, I’ll make sure to write down their name right away. All the excitement about adventuring made me too giddy as a gull around free food to commit it to memory. Whoops. My Pops always told me that I’ve got to be smiling, excited, __and__ thoughtful enough to remember my potential customers. I’ll do better next time!

What else… what else… Oh! Speaking of monsters, I’ve never really seen them so up-close and personal before. Mom and Pops taught me the basics around bows and stuff (and I snuck in some magic-training on the side, hehe!), so it’s not too hard, but it was so strange actually having to put it to use! Those Birdians are kind of pushovers, but the Conches have super tough shells! And don’t even get me __started__ on the tortoises. I hope I don’t run into too many baddies. I’m here for merchant-training, not stabbing-and-shooting training. How useful would __that__ be to keep customers?

I guess I’ll make a list of what I actually __want__ to do, then!

~*~My Goals!~*~

One! See the whole wide world!

Two! See the whole wide world’s treasures!

Three! Meet as many people as I can!

Four! Become the best merchant I can be!

And Five! Return home with this journal filled with memories and new friends!

I might make more later, who knows. Like learning how to make fires faster, or knowing which fruits __don’t__ taste like brine. Little things like that. It’s the little things that count! But we’ll see how I do! 

Look out, world, here comes Tressa!

See you tomorrow, and the tomorrow after that!

~T.C.

(P.S. I found a cool rock, too. When I dropped it on accident, a __huge__ blast of wind blew my enemies away! It was so cool. I kind of want to make a rock collection now… hehe!)


	2. there isn’t even a dam here, talk about false advertising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, back again! shout-out to those who read, kudos, and commented on this fic - I didn’t think it would get any attention given its style, but thank u for giving it a shot! I really appreciate it! without further ado, here be chapter two! enjoy!

Quick Daily Notes!

-Birdians do not like arrows, no sirree!

-Found all kinds of grapes around here. And nuts. And olives. I don’t like olives. Maybe I can pawn them off somewhere...

-Reached the Northern Coast! Looks almost the same as the Eastern Coast. Only more… north. 

-Someone dropped a bunch of money near the beginning of the North Coast. Hope they don’t mind if I take it. Oh well, finder’s keepers!

*

**Day:** XX/XX

**Weather:** Sunny (and a light breeze!)

Boy, am I tired! I trekked all the way up north. Rippletide’s no more than a little barnacle in the distance now. When I squint, I can see it, but the summertime haze kind of hides it. Lots of ships going by, though. (I always wave at them. Not many wave back, but maybe they’ll remember me in the future as “that weirdo merchant girl who waved at us all crazy that one time” and buy my goodies! Prime business opportunity, right there. Gotta stay memorable!) Pretty soon, though, the more north I go, the less sea there will be. 

I wonder how Mom and Pops are doing. I’ve only been gone for about two days, but I hope they’re not worrying too much about me. I remember how one time, when I was a little kid, Mom and I went to the shores along the Caves of Maiya. She got so upset when I jumped across the rocks when it was high tide. There were huge bunches of seaweed on them, so I don’t blame her now, but… You know how it is. Being a kid and all, you don’t think about those sorts of dangerous things. I pay more attention now, but… Maybe the reason why they were so hesitant to let me go is because they still see me like I’m six.

But I’m not six anymore. 

I keep yawning. I walked a whole eight hours today, and I only saw maybe four or five people - mostly merchants heading to Rippletide. None of them had any eye-catching sparklies. Oh well! Maybe next time. I do need to buy more food and get some fresh water soon. If my map’s right, I’m maybe a half-day away from Atlasdam. I could’ve gone south to Cobbleston, but it’s mostly mountains. Mountains! Big, tall, humongous mountains. And I don’t have the supplies for that! No one should scale one of those things alone, right? Right?

Okay, so, maybe they’re not _that_ big to most people, but they sure are huge to me! Cut me some slack, won’t you? Besides, I’ve heard that the merchants who wandered down that way never came back. It’s probably filled to the brim with thieves. Ick. I’ll save Cobbleston for the future and braver Tressa.

I don’t know why I’m so tired, though. Sure, I walked a lot, but I felt like I had so much energy to burn! Then again, I didn’t sleep too great. Maybe I was too excited. It definitely wasn’t because of the creepy noises or anything. No way. Nope. I’m not lily livered! I’m tougher than an Osterran Tuna! It was totally because there were rocks almost everywhere under my tent. I couldn’t get comfortable, no matter how hard I tried. If I missed anything back home, it’d be my bed. Siiiiigh…

No point making wishes! Let’s just call it a day and hope tomorrow will be better.

See you tomorrow, and the tomorrow after that!

~T. C.

*

Quick Daily Notes!

-Made it to the Atlasdam Flats! The grass is so tall here, it’s amazing.

-Found more plums. I wonder if my diet will be okay with how many plums I’ve eaten. I mean, sure, there’s a lot of wild game around, but I just don’t have it in me to actually eat them, you know? Maybe I’m turning vegetarian.

-There’s these pink cuties that eat the grass around here! My field guide calls them “Meeps.” Meeps! Have you _ever_ heard something so _adorable?_ They’re not cute when they’re angry, though. Total yikes!

-Speaking of yikes: Froggens. Ew, ew ew, ew ew ew. Their eyes are so creepy. _So_ creepy. Have you ever stared at a Froggens’ eyes before? No? Don’t. Just take my word for it. It’s like a cat’s eye, but with more gross spots and they blink weird. I took one for the team for you, so just avoid them if you can.

-Arrived at Atlasdam!

*

**Day:** XX/XX

**Weather:** Cloudy!

Holy smoked swordfish, I finally made it to Atlasdam a few days back! My legs are still killing me from all the exploring. Maybe Mum was right, telling me to stretch often. I thought I’d be immune to muscle aches, since I’m still young and eighteen and all, but I guess not. At least I won’t be sleeping on the ground tonight. We booked a room at the inn - so refreshing! And we restocked on food and water, so we’ll be good for a bit, I think. 

Oh yeah, “we!” I completely skipped the important parts. I know it’s been a bit since I last wrote in this (sorry!), but me and my new friend kind of got busy with trying to stop some scholar using bad magic or… something. It’s complicated. Anyways, my new travel companion’s name is Cyrus. He’s a little weird (and a little old), and he speaks using big fancy-schmancy words, so you know he’s what Pops calls “too smart for his own good.” But he’s not _bad_ by any means - he’s just really obsessed with books. There’s so many books in his bag! Where’s the room for food and money, huh? I guess Atlasdam has different priorities. It does have a huge school, and Cyrus _is_ a teacher (or was, I’m not really sure what happened). 

Sorry, I’m all over the place. I arrived to Atlasdam a couple of days ago, like I said earlier. This place is completely made of stone! It’s all even and almost symmetrical - completely different from Rippletide. I’d like to see bandits try and set this place on fire, or even get by the first wall to get into town. It really looks like those castles you see in kids’ books. I guess writers took inspiration from here. They even have a princess, and she’s _so_ pretty. I only really saw her for a few seconds, but golly, she had the nicest hair and the most refined wave I’ve ever seen. She’s around my age, according to Cyrus. I can’t imagine being royalty - imagine all the things you have to learn! I wouldn’t be able to pay attention at all. But apparently she’s very smart. Smart, pretty, and my age? Some people are just so lucky.

But we all have our own talents. Mine happens to be making money. And you know what they say! “Money makes the world go ‘round!” Does that make _me_ lucky, too? Heh.

When I met Cyrus, he was tracking some missing book (which is apparently a big deal around here. Stealing is bad, yes, but he was acting like it was the end of the world) that his friend(?) stole from the “royal” archives. We got so lost in this underground cave that it took us a few hours to find him. But we also found some neat herbs! They’re still in my bag - maybe I can use them for seasoning while we’re on the road. 

But boy, there were some weird things in that gross cavern. Wisps, boney-creatures - it wasn’t very fun. And then the scholar himself! I think his name was Russell? He looked terrible. His eyes were all sunken and bloodshot, and his clothes looked unwashed for days. He claimed he needed the money, but that’s still no excuse for stealing someone’s precious belongings! I’m really glad I decided to help Cyrus out. I don’t know what he would’ve done if he went by himself… But ol’ Russell got more than he bargained for against the two of us!

Even though Cyrus saved the day, I think he still got in trouble for something. He didn’t say what, though. I just know he’s now decided to come with me. Isn’t school still in session this time of year? I don’t think the headmaster would just let a teacher go like that to find a missing book, of all things. Oh well. I guess it’s not really any of my business.

Now we’re here. This room has all kinds of books in it, too - all of them look old. I don’t recognize any of the titles, but Cyrus keeps hmm-ing and hah-ing and fussing over them like they’re his children. (He even stroked one book’s spine a couple of times. That’s devotion.) I feel like he treats people like _they’re_ books, too - he keeps asking personal questions whenever we walk around town together, trying to dig out as much information as he can. As useful as it is, I can see how uncomfortable people get. I guess I’ll have to reel him in from time to time if we stick together.

Well, I do like a good mystery. And his mission sounds like a mystery as interesting as any other, so I might as well see it to the end with him. Right? Besides, his magic is super-duper useful and cool. He can set things on fire! And freeze things! And lightning, too, I guess, but it’s really loud, and I don’t like it. But the fire is going to be really useful, since we’re going to be heading up north to Stillsnow. I’ve never seen snow before, since Rippletide doesn’t quite get cold enough for it, so I’m super excited! I’ve got to remember to stop by the shop later tomorrow and buy some warmer gear. Don’t want to be getting frostbitten.

Oh yeah! I made quite a few bargain deals today. Got lots more rocks! Magic rocks. Useful rocks. I hate using them because they break into itty-bitty pieces. They’re too pretty to fall apart, but Cyrus kept using the ones we found. I’m hiding this stash in my bag to bring back home as little personal trinkets from my trip. Is that silly? Maybe. Do I care? Nope! Every merchant’s gotta have their own treasures!

It’s late. I can hear Cyrus snoring on the other side of the room. Reminder to future me: get two separate rooms, all right? He’s _so_ loud. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep well… 

Goodnight, everyone! Here’s to another day!

~T. C.


	3. snowman's land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya hey! thanks for stopping by again - I really appreciate the kudos and supportive comments! I’ll continue to write my best for you all, so please enjoy! also this game has somehow taken over my life. send help

Quick Daily Notes!:

-Cyrus practically interrogated a poor guard so hard that the guy talked about his existential crisis and how he viewed life as meaningless for about a half an hour. Talk about awkward. I kept pretending to not be listening, but seeing that I was all of a ripple away, it was hard to be interested in literally anything else. I made Cyrus apologize later (but I don’t think he really learned his lesson. We’ll work on it).

-Stocked up on medicines and got lots of warm clothes! I got these cute fuzzy-lined boots that have a spotted pattern on the sides. They’re yellow, so they even match my feather! I even got a discount for them. Hehe!

-I got a chance to tour the castle today! Cyrus wanted to stop by and say goodbye to some folks, so I just wandered through the hallways. All the guards looked so proper! And all the carpeting was so plush that I thought I’d sink into the basement. Is this how the richest people live? (Maybe I’ll be among them yet!)

-We found a bunch of hidden items, thanks to Cyrus. I just wish we could’ve gotten the info differently instead of badgering a poor old lady. Oh well. She didn’t seem to mind _too_ much.

-We also helped some young man improve his culinary arts! I _knew_ buying those ingredients would be super useful someday. His dish was so good, I think I accidentally drooled all over the napkin he gave us. Whoops. (Cyrus copied the recipe for later.)

-These “daily notes” are getting longer and longer! I guess there’s so much to keep track of that I don’t want to forget anything. Sorry!

-Say bye-bye to Atlasdam! My feet are happy that we’re walking on softer ground again. The people who live here must have soles thicker than a whale’s hide. 

-To the Flats!

*

**Day:** XX/XX

**Weather:** Rain!!

Agh! We reached the Northern Flats, but then a huge, ginourmous storm just came out of nowhere! Everything’s soaked - I’m soaked, Cyrus is drenched, and most of my belongings are dripping on the other side of the tent. I can hear the plip-plopping of my clothes every three seconds. We scrambled to get our shelters up, but Cyrus, for as smart as he is, knows next to _nothing_ about the outdoors or how to set up a tent. Not that I’m surprised - he’s paler than a White Ripple Salmon from being indoors all the time. Mom always warned Pops about staying inside too much and how it’s bad for your health. (She never really had that problem with me, hehe.) I can kind of see why now. 

So instead of setting up both tents, we’re sharing one tonight, just to spare him from the struggle. No worries! This thing is big enough for four, since I took it off my parents’ hands when I left. We have more than enough space to dry everything out and sleep! But since it’s raining, that means dinner is more plums and preserves. I miss the Atlasdam Tavern. They had this potato dish with corn and some kind of sauce - _delicious._ The old gramps there made the meat sprinkles so tender that I think I went to heaven. 

On the plus side, Cyrus likes the olives. Saving those instead of selling them was a good idea, after all. Good call, Tressa! High-five! Yeah!

Anyways, it turns out we’re more or less heading towards “Flamesgrace,” not Stillsnow like I originally thought. Stillsnow is more north than Flamesgrace. For some reason I thought Flamesgrace would be someplace, you know, warmer? With a name like “Flames,” you’d think it would be in the Sunlands. The more you know! Having a scholar smart with maps is a real help. It’s where the church of the Sacred Flame is, too! Truth be told, I never really got interested in religion or religious texts as a kid, but maybe learning more will help with my merchant training. Oho!

Speaking of books, Cyrus is the type to mumble while reading. He keeps writing with that pen of his, huddled over the candle and squinting like the old man he is. (Well, thirty isn’t _old,_ I guess, but his way of speaking and stuff makes him sound much older than he really is. Or maybe I’m just not used to it yet.) I think it’s pretty neat to be so passionate about something! It makes me want to try even harder to be the best of the best in what _I_ want to do. Watch me, future self! I’m gonna make you proud. Hopefully.

Eesh, the rain’s coming down in buckets! I hope this tent is waterproof enough to keep it all out. The last thing we need is for all of Cyrus’s spellbooks to get wet and unreadable. Those things are expensive! E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E. Like, so much leaves that could probably pay rent for a month in Rippletide expensive. Who would’ve thought learning magic through tomes would suck up so much cash? I mean, sure, I can haggle like the best of them, but even with a discount, it’s gonna leave a sting in our money-purse. Then again, he has _so_ much more magic than me; he summons fire and ice so easily. I only really had a natural talent in wind, so what he does is super-duper impressive. (I’ve seen his fingertips light up with what I think is lightning, too, so maybe he’s planning on adding that to his abilities. Wait, does that mean we’re gonna need to buy more books? Shoot!)

Money aside, I should probably sleep. We want to get through the Frostlands as soon as possible - apparently frostbite is no joke! Camping out there would be incredibly dangerous, since we don’t have insulation for it in our tents. We’re pretty close to the border where we are now, so if we wake up early enough (if what Cyrus said is right) then we should make it to Flamesgrace before nightfall. Phew! Hopefully our things dry out so they don’t become frozen when we get there.

Onwards! To tomorrow! See you then!

~T.C.

*

Quick Dailies!

-SNOW!!

-There’s so much snow. So much. It’s as far as the eyes can see. I can’t believe how _pretty_ it is up here. The trees are just! Wow!

-Writing in this means I have to take off my gloves. My poor hands are cold! Forgive me if this section is short, I’ll make up for it later!

-Arrived at Flamesgrace.

*

**Day:** XX/XX

**Weather:** Snow

Oh, I was so stupid, stupid! I can’t believe that happened. We got surrounded by big old wolves that were absolutely no fun, and poor Cyrus, he - he got scratched up really, really bad. He keeps brushing it off that he’s okay, but I can see him wincing here and there as we explored town. If only I used my lance to fend them off instead of using wind! Ooh, I hate how hindsight is twenty-twenty! I just have to be more careful next time. Those wolves are no joke - they’re not pushovers like the Meeps or those Snow Foxes we see around here. Poor, poor Cyrus… I wonder if there’s anything I can do to make it up to him.

Well, you all didn’t read this to hear me mope, so I guess I’ll change the subject. I’m still worried, though… Hmm…

Oh, right, Flamesgrace! We made it to Flamesgrace, and just in time for sunset, too. There’s this spot out on this hill that we walked up, and goodness, that church just glittered in the sunlight and snow! I didn’t think it could snow _and_ be sunny at the same time. (I want to ask Cyrus about that later.) It was so pretty that I almost completely forgot about dinner. Whoops! 

The tavern here is so much quieter than the one in Atlasdam. Actually, when talking to people, I’ve noticed their voices are so much softer. I wonder if it’s because you’ve got to be quieter in the church. Even the man behind the counter is so soft-spoken, I had to strain my ears to understand what he was saying. At least it helps if I lose Cyrus - compared to everyone else here, he’s so loud that I could probably find him _anywhere_ in Flamesgrace. Er, not to insult him or anything. Don’t tell him I said that, okay? Keep it between us.

Our dinner was super good here, too! I’m pretty sure the man said it was something-or-rather stew, but I’m not sure what. (I felt bad asking him to repeat himself a few times and _still_ not hearing him. Whoops.) But it had yummy potatoes and some vegetables (I wonder how they grow veggies here in the first place? Another question for Cyrus! Remind me to ask him when he’s feeling better) and some kind of meat. The broth was so creamy! If you go to the Guiding Light Tavern, ask for the stew - I promise you won’t be disappointed. (I don’t think Cyrus liked it as much. Maybe it’s the potatoes. I thought the older you got, the less picky you became. Maybe Mom lied to me when _I_ was super picky as a kid. Oh well.) They had this delicious hot chocolate, too! With this whipped cream that made it more milky, and even some colorful chocolate sprinkle on it. I never drank something so delicious! Even Pop’s can’t compare.

I wonder if Pops ever made it this far north in his travels as a merchant. He must’ve, right? I bet he didn’t like the snow. He complains whenever the temperature dips cold enough to see your breath for two weeks of the year. “Bad for his knees,” he says. Mom just calls him old. 

I’m still worried about Cyrus. What if the scratches get infected? We tried our best at cleaning the wounds and everything, but I can’t help but be a worrywart. I’m sure it will be fine, like he says, but some part of me just keeps nagging and nagging to check up on him every five minutes. He’s probably sick of me knocking on his door and seeing if he’s okay. I should do it one more time before conking out. 

We didn’t really make much plans for tomorrow. I know he eventually wants to end up somewhere called Quarrycrest, but according to all the travel guides, you’ve got to be a “seasoned warrior” to think about “traversing the wilds” there. So I guess he’s just going to follow me around in the meantime, which is nice of him. He doesn’t seem to mind scoping out all the bookstores - he’s looking for a very specific book, but he keeps picking up more along the way. Something about Hornsburg? Homsburg? Hamburg? I don’t remember. He picks up a lot of history books regarding them, but has me sell them whenever they don’t have anything “relevant” to his “cause.” (Sounds so noble, doesn’t it?)

Well, maybe if I find any books about this Houndborg, I’ll buy some. That should make him happy. 

I guess my plans for tomorrow is seeing if we can find any good deals or any good info. There weren’t a lot of people out when we got here, since it was so close to nighttime, so I guess it wouldn’t hurt to rise bright and early to meet some folks! Who knows, maybe we’ll find someone who wants to take a vacation. Clerics get vacation days, right? They could come with us for awhile. New friends! (So long as Cyrus doesn’t make them feel weird with all his questioning.)

Oh, and I need to buy more medical supplies to replace the ones we used today. Can’t forget that. And more rations - open-fire cooking in the snow is kind of hard, so we’ll need more dried fruits and stuff. Maybe we should invest in an insulated tent, too, if that exists. If it does, they’d have to sell them here, right? It only makes sense. We’ll add that to the to-do list. Man, being in charge of money matters is hard sometimes. I have to juggle between new equipment for harsher terrains and food and everything. Phew.

It’s so quiet. I can still see the snow piling up outside my window, even though it’s dark. The wind is howling (or the wolves). I wonder if it _ever_ stops snowing around here? It has to, right? Otherwise living here must be really hard. (Then again, this _is_ the Frostlands. Wouldn’t be very frosty if all the snow melted, huh.) I guess I’m a little bit glad to grow up in Rippletide compared to where I _could’ve_ been born. No ocean for miles. Hard to believe it.

Guess I should get some shut-eye. Oh, but not before checking on Cyrus first. 

See you all soon!

~T.C.

(P.S. - Flamesgrace’s Inn has super low rates, if you ever happen to head up there. Maybe it’s because it’s so cold that they feel bad for visitors. Hehe.)


	4. middle of snowhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay! I’ve gotten a lot more busy than anticipated, so I thank you for your patience! please enjoy! these chapters will. eventually get longer, I swear, someday,,

Budgeting List!

Armorer:

-Wolf’s Bow (x1) - 2,600 LV (Me)

-Quartz Rod (x1) - 2,400 LV (Cyrus)

-Round Shield (x2) - 1,200 LV (Both)

-Linen Robe (x1) - 960 LV (Me)

-Sturdy Vest (x1) - 2,100 LV (Cyrus)

Total: 9,260 LV

Provisioner:

-Canned goods (should last us a week when on foot) - 1,250 LV

-Herbs (by Cyrus’s request) - 60 LV

-Insulated Sleeping Bags -1, 460 LV

Total: 2,770 LV

Grand Total: 11,530 LV

Remaining Funds: Roughly 6K.

(gonna have to talk to Cyrus about cutting back on parchment purchases for a little bit. We should have enough for now, though.)

*

Daily Notes!

-Shopping completed! That took a lot longer than I thought it would. Their selection here is pretty nice! (It didn’t help that I kept having to say “What?” every other sentence, since I could barely hear that poor old lady running the goods shop. She made really nice tea, though! I just wish I asked what kind it was.)

-Cyrus took it upon himself to investigate some guy’s so-called “false” accusement of murdering someone. He’s been up and down the snowy streets all day! I’ve seen him walk by this little cozy restaurant six times already. (His cheeks keep getting redder each time he passes by. If he does it a seventh time, I’ll make sure he comes in to warm up a bit.) I’m glad he’s feeling well enough to keep moving, even though he got hurt. I’m still real worried about him, though.

-The bookstore here doesn’t have what Cyrus is looking for, either. I’ve looked up and down and all around town and every person all but gasped whenever I said the H-E-Double Spear word. What can I do! It’s the name of the stupid book, it’s not like I can call it “The Far Reaches from Heaven” when that’s not what it is at all. Honestly!

-I keep seeing this beautiful blonde lady looking all out of sorts around town. I’m quite sure she’s a cleric of the church. Maybe I should ask what’s wrong. Not like I have anything better to do! 

*

**Day:** XX/XX

**Weather:** Whaddya know! More snow!

Her name is Ophilia!

Okay, let me backup a sec. So! Today, Cyrus - who was supposed to take it easy, but I think he’s so smart that he’s a bit dumb around taking care of himself - was all sorts of busy with “finding witnesses” to some sort of crime that happened around these parts. I took care of business, and once I had some free time, I finally stopped and talked to that pretty lady (see above!) that I kept seeing. She _is_ a cleric, after all. A Sister! A real living Sister! Okay, I know, I don’t really know much about the Sacred Flame or the gods’ names or anything like that, but it’s still super neat! Right?

Anyways, she’s on a mission, too. I caught her in the middle of sneaking out of the church to “embark on the pilgrimage to restore the Sacred Flame’s light” or something. But she kept on double-guessing herself. Apparently, her _sister_ is supposed to be going and doing this, but their dad is all kinds of unwell, and her sister is all kinds of distraught. So, you _know_ what I had to do. On my honor as a merchant, I, Tressa, will help her go get this flame-thingy and join her on this journey! 

Pretty sure my merchant-honor is applicable here. Yeah. Well, I _am_ the merchant, so I get to dictate what my honor is good for. Totally how that works. Don’t question it.

So! I dragged Cyrus by that poofy cape of his and we pooled our resources together to get our Sister decked out in only the _best_ gear for the trip. She seemed a bit surprised when I whipped up a deal for her. I bet she’s never seen one of me in action before! (Gotta look cool, _you_ know how it is. Hehe!) And as thanks, she even healed Cyrus up, good as new! We looked over an old map of the cave (eep) we’re heading to, made preparations, and I think this is going to work out excellently. What could go wrong?

Shh. Don’t answer that. I can _see_ you squinting at me. Listen! Cyrus might be as squishy as a salmon’s belly, but we’ve got a _cleric_ now. We can totally traverse that spooky cave and _nothing_ creepy (NOTHING) will come out and scare us half to death. It won’t. It _better_ not. Especially not when it’s so dark and creepy out and we’re heading there _right now_ just so the Sister’s sister (hah) doesn’t realize what we’re doing. 

(Is this wrong to do, though? I mean, morally speaking? It’s _technically_ snitching someone’s destiny and giving it to someone else. So that’s kind of thievery. But, I mean, it’s _also_ helping relieve that destiny to take care of family. I’m sure Pops would’ve done the same thing, yeah? And Mum? I dunno. I’m just going with my gut here.)

Poor Sister left in such a hurry that she left her good insulated jacket back home. Good thing Cyrus isn’t _so_ dense to not offer his cape; the Sister looks good in black and gold! She tried to be so modest about it - “Oh, no, I’m quite all right,” she said, teeth chattering and smiling if we’re back in Rippletide’s muggy summers - but I persisted and made Cyrus give it to her. Now she’s all nice and comfy! Face is still red, though. Hope she didn’t catch a cold!

Okay, break’s over - time to. Go further. Into this cave. This dimly-lit, cold, not-spooky cave. If I were in the property business, I’d rate the decor here five out of ten. I mean, sure, it accents the Not Spooky with the jagged drippy rocks, but there’s so much _ice_ everywhere that I’ve slipped three times already, even though I’m wearing my cute boots and everything. This is by-far the least fun ever. I wouldn’t even sell this place to my arch-nemesis, if I had one!

What? I’m not stalling by writing more. Not at all! Where the heck did you get that idea? Alright, off we go! For real this time! Nothing will go badly! Nope! Nuh-uh!

This is Tressa, signing off!

~T.C.

*

**Day:** XX/XX

**Weather:** Snow matter how many times you ask, it’s snowon’t change, methinks.

Nothing went wrong!

_Phew._

No, really, nothing did. Sure, there were a lot of creepy wisps all _over_ the place, just, you know, dangling from the ceilings with the resident bats that _didn’t_ make me scream at all with their Sneaky Diving Tactics. Sure, there were too many wolves prowling the place that kept barking in that echo-chamber, but nothing went _horribly_ bad. And the big, omniscient voice that boomed from the heavens themselves wasn’t, you know, mildly petrifying in any way! 

Okay so maybe the big, hunking stone-thing that hit like a ton of bricks was bad. It kept coming with little friends, too! I’ve never seen anything like it; if the gods look like _that,_ I never want to see one ever again. Weirdly enough, it kinda smelled like fresh grass. Fresh grass! In the middle of a winter wonderland! And being a guardian of fire! How does _that_ work? For something so powerful-looking, though, all it took was a bit of my winds to knock it down and Cyrus and Sister to chip it away. I don’t think the guardians of the flame really _want_ to kill the Sister for embarking on the journey, so I’m sure it went easy on us. 

Good thing, too! I don’t mind a half-off lunch! That’s a deal I’m all for, the whole “not dying” schtick. 

But really, fighting magical god things is now off my bucket-list I never knew I had and will _never_ be put back on in the foreseeable future. Yeesh! Let’s leave that to gods-fighting experts, yeah? If there are any. I’m sure someone’s insane enough.

We’re back in the inn again for tonight, with Cyrus in his own room and me and Sister in our own. I know I should call her “Ophilia” now, since we’re going to be traveling buddies, but it just feels wrong. I know she said to call her Ophilia, so I should just try harder, but… 

Oh, right, whoops! I forgot to mention that Sis--Ophilia is coming with us! She passed the trial, and now she’s got to go on the pilgrimage instead of her sister. So, mission success, yeah? I think so. She’s _so_ nice, I couldn’t ask for anyone better to stick around with us. Her patience is miraculous around Cyrus’s dinner table talks, too. She actually seems invested in learning what he has to say! (Makes me feel kind of bad for spacing out whenever he goes on his long-winded rambles. Double whoops.) And she’s even offered to help me manage money, the poor thing. She has no idea what she’s up against.

Ophilia is heading to Saintsbridge in the Riverlands, so I guess our next move is getting through the neighboring forest and cut down south to get there. I’ve never been to the Riverlands before, but I’ve heard it’s _beautiful_ this time of year. I can’t wait! But first, the forest. I’ve never been there too, but I heard it’s really easy to get lost in. Cyrus doesn’t seem too concerned (probably because he gets lost in his _books_ all the time), but Ophilia’s still up, huddled close to the candle, squinting at the map. I’m worried she’s not going to get enough sleep. Maybe I should take the map from her. Maybe I will if she’s not in bed by the time I’m done writing.

Anything else… Hmm,,, I guess not! I got myself all worked-up for nothing, you know? That cave wasn’t so bad! Teaches me to judge a book by its cover. No biggie! I guess today’s lesson is to stop worrying so much.

Alrighty! Time to get Ophilia to sleep so we can fight squirrels soon! Watch out, woods, here comes Tressa! (Hopefully we won’t get lost.)

~T.C.


End file.
